Container assemblies are well known for storing, preserving, transporting, and handling any variety of contents, such as liquid or solid particulate materials or other consumer or commercial goods. Traditional container assemblies include a container for retaining the materials and an opening through the container by which the materials are inserted and/or removed from the container. A cap is often provided with the container to removably cover the opening so that a user may access the materials and selectively remove the materials from the confines of the container. As such, the container and cap effectively store and preserve any contents therein. The cap may also include a tamper evident feature to indicate to the user whether or not the cap has been removed from the container in order to further ensure the preservation and integrity of the contents therein.
To aid in the transportation and handling of these containers, a container assembly may also include features to help the user manipulate the container during use. For example, a large, rectilinear container for a liquid chemical may be beneficial to transport and store onsite, but may be difficult for the user to lift or control while pouring during use. To this end, a handle may be formed into the container or affixed to the container to aid the user. However, a formed handle may reduce the useful volume of the container and increase the complexity of the container. The formed handle also tends to be relatively rigid and thus more difficult to manipulate when transferring materials from the container. Similarly, a traditional affixed handle may increase the complexity of assembly, while negatively impacting the aesthetic appeal of the overall container assembly.
There is a need, therefore, for improvements in container assemblies, and specifically, a need for a container, a tote handle, and a method of assembly that addresses present challenges and drawbacks such as those described above.